By Cameron Jourdan
Special to The Tuscaloosa News
STILLWATER, Okla. — Karsten Creek fought back.
A day after breaking a course record, the Alabama men’s golf team struggled in the third round of the men’s NCAA Championships, carding a 13-over par round. The 22-stroke difference is something coach Jay Seawell said hurts his team because it can’t get those shots back, but it has to turn around and get focused on Monday’s round.
The cut line moved throughout the afternoon, but The Crimson Tide finds itself in ninth place at 10-over par heading to the final day of stroke play.
The top-15 teams and nine individuals not on those teams advanced to Monday’s fourth round, but Alabama has some work to do to get inside the top eight and make match play.
Four triple-bogeys and three double-bogeys hindered any momentum Alabama tried to garner. Davis Shore and Wilson Furr each shot 2-over 74s, which were The Crimson Tide’s low rounds.
Because Alabama had to sit and wait on whether it would make the cut, Seawell said the afternoon could be a tense one, but he knows his team can bounce back, similar to what it did Saturday.
“We’ll learn from today,” Seawell said. “We got punched in the mouth, and it’s the first time we didn’t punch back. I believe in these guys. Everything they have worked hard for is right in front of them.”
